The role of lifestyle in creating tourists' destination image and destination loyalty

Abstract

Recently, the issue of causal relationship between destination image and destination loyalty is a crucial subject across the scholars in the topics of tourism area, particularly to clarify positive image and positioning of destinations. The objectives of this study are to scrutinize causal relationships between destination image and destination loyalty as well as the lifestyle of tourists as a novel contribution in psychographics, especially by illustrating the mediation role of lifestyle. Also, the administrated questionnaires have been distributed in the survey. For sampling frame, probability approach is employed by regarding random sampling from 232 out of 258 tourists participated on-site of Kuala Lumpur. The employed approaches for testing causal relationships are Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) features. Both construct reliability and validity are established for the proposed model (i.e. Destination Image-Lifestyle-Destination Loyalty). The findings disclose that destination image significantly associates to lifestyle and destination loyalty. While lifestyle is partially mediated the relationship between destination image and destination loyalty. Finally, the researchers realized that if the destination management could fulfill tourists' desires which are adapted on their lifestyles, it leads to create a positive image and positioning as intentions to visit or recommend the destination.